Uncoupling device.



No. 705,735. Patented my 29, |902. H. RuNs.

-UNCUPLING DEVICE.

( Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.)

(No Model Wits/money PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BRUNS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. i

`Ulucoulruie DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. '75,'735, dated July 29, 1902.

Application tied Ap'rll 9, 1901.

To "all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, HENRY BRUNs, a citizen of the United States, residingat St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uncoupling Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itfappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the gures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to railway-cars, and more especially to that class of devices known as uneoupling-levers and the object of the same is to provide means for operating the lock of an automatic coupling from the side of an ordinary car or the side and top of a box-car. V

To this end the invention consists in the constructionhereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Wherein i Figure l is an end view of Vthe body of a box-car and Va cross-section of an automatic coupler thereon, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is 'a horizontal section through the draw-head. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective detail of the locklifter or rocker. Fig. t is a similar detail of thec'atch.

Referring to said drawings, 1 designates the draw-head, 2 the pivoted knuckle, 3 the locking-arm, and 4 the lock for the latter, all as now in common use in a well-known type of` automatic car-coupling.

The lock lifter or rocker. consists of twin members 6 of U shape inside elevation, with their bodies standing parallel and their ends 5o 'Z can be passed astride of said rod.

serai No. 55,017. (No modem isalink connected withthe boltf), and pass-- ingthence down through aholein the top ofthe draw-head to and connected with the lock 4. therein. Upward movement of thelink raises the lock, downward movement thereof permits the lock to descend, and rocking moveact of uncoupling the pivotal point 9 and the link 5 move straight upward, while the pivotal point 8 moves both upward and-` to the left. These various movements of the rocker are produced by mechanisms which I will now describe.

11 is a rod having an eye 12 at its inner end v loosely embracing the bolt S of the rocker, its

body extending thence transversely outward along the end of the car and over a pin or through an eye 13 and its outer end havinga handle 14. This rod is used at present on many types of car, and it is obvious that when the handle is depressed thelock will be raised, and when the handle is raised the lock will be depressed; but in the present invention where the rocker is used it will be clear that the simple raising and lowering of the handle 14 will notbe suiiicient, owing to the lateral movements of the Apivotal point 8, and hence provision must 'be made to permit movements' of this handle whereby in uncoupling the locklifter will be rocked'slghtly upon the top of `the draw-head, so as `to raise the lock 11 and at the same time move the bolt 8 laterally for a purpose to appear hereinafter. With boxcars or those whereon itis desirable occasionally to operate this device froma point above the draw-bar an additional rod 21 is provided, which has an eye 22 at its lower end loosely embracing the bolt or rivet S and whose body extends thence upward to a handle 24.-, standing inconvenient reach of an operator who IOC may be on the top of the car. This is also common at present; but in my invention I preferably employ a catch, (best seen in Fig. 4,) which consists of a screw-shank 31, adapted to be seated in the end of the car, and a at body 32 projecting therefrom, and in this body is provided a keyhole-opening 33, with a notch 34 extending from the larger end of the opening 33 out through one side of the body, this notch being of about the size of the smaller end of said opening and preferably standing oblique to a vertical line. With this construction the handle end of the rod 21 is enlarged, as at 25, so as to produce a shoulder 26 on the rod some distance below the handle, and the enlarged portion is of a size to move freely in the larger part of the opening 33, while the smaller portion below the shoulder is of a size to fit within the smaller portion of said opening, or can be passed out the notch 34 when the rod is sprung slightly, so as to stand oblique. Below the catch the rod 21 preferably passes through an eye 23, seated in the end of the car-body, and the small end of the opening 33 preferably stands remote from that side of the car beyond which the handle 14 projects. Vith this arrangement when the lock is up, the smaller portion of the rod 21 engaged in the smaller end of the opening 33, and the shoulder 26 resting upon the plate 32, the lock may be dropped to engage the locking-arm by moving the handle 24 to the left in Fig. 1, so that the larger portion 25 will drop down through the larger part of the opening 33, or the same result may be produced from a point on the ground at the side of the car by drawing the handle 14 slightly outward and downward, which moves the bolt 8 laterally and turns the rod 21 in the eye 23 as a pivot. It wlll thus be clear that in order to uncouple, when the parts stand as seen in Fig. 1 the upper handle 24 must be drawn upward and moved to the right, as shown by the arrow standing adjacent to it, this double movement drawing the larger portion 25 upward through the opening 33 until the shoulder 2G stands above the plate 32, after which the smaller portion of the rod moves into and engages with the smaller end of said opening, and the resting of the shoulder on the plate sustains the weight of the devices. Meanwhile the rocker has moved, as above described, the point 9 has risen vertically, and the point 8 has moved upward and to the left, as is permitted by the pivotal'point 23. It is true that the point 8 moves through a curved path, while the handle 24 moves through an angular path, (indicated by the arrow but the length of the rod and the distance between its central pivotal point 23 and its two extremities are such that these different movements are permitted by the resiliency of the rod itself. Hence the rocker will move from the illustrated position into the other or uncoupling position with a snap which occurs when the small portion of the rod just below the shoulder 26 springs into the smaller end of the keyhole-opening 33. Vthen the device is uncoupled by an operator standing on the ground,he draws outward and downward on the handle 14. Owing to the central pivot 13 of the rod 11, this handle 14 will move through a curved path complementary to that of the pivotal point 8; but while it is making this movement the upper handle is making the angular movement above described, and the result is that when this device is operated from the side of the car the same snapping action takes place at the top of the car. Hence it will be seen that by my present invention not only can the automatic coupler be operated from either of the two points, but when the lock 4is raised it is held in that position by the peculiar means which I employ.

All parts are of the desired proportions and materials, and considerable change in the details may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention, especially with respect to thosc features herein described as being used by preference only.

What is claimed as new is- 1. In an uncoupling device, the combinaa tion with a rocker resting upon the draw-head and connected with the lock of an automatic coupler; of a substantially horizontal rod pivoted to and leading from the rocker loosely through an eye in the end of the car and laterally outward to a handle, an upright rod pivoted to and leading also from the rocker loosely through an eye in the end of the car and upward to a handle, and means for permittin g vertical and lateral movements of the upper end of this rod and for detachably holding it in elevated position, all substantially as described.

2. In an uncoupling device, the combination with a rocker connected with the lock of an automatic coupler; of a rod extending from the rocker loosely through an eye in the end of the car-body and having a handle at its upper end, the body of the rod just beneath said handle being enlarged so as to form a shoulder, and a plate carried by the car and having a keyhole-opening whose larger and smaller portions respectively loosely receive the larger and smaller portions of said rod, and a notch leading from the larger portion out through the edge of the plate, said notch standing oblique to a vertical line, substantially as described.

3.- In an uncoupling device, the combination with a rocker resting upon the draw-head and connected with the lock of an automatic coupler; of a rod pivoted to and extending from the rocker loosely through an eye in the end of the car-body and having a handle at its upper end, the body of the rod just beneath said handle being enlarged so as to form a shoulder, and a plate carried by the car and ICO a handle at its outer end, all substantially as described. 1o

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY BRUN S.

having a keyhole-opening Whose larger and smaller portions respectively loosely receive the larger and smaller portions of said rod, and a second rod pivoted to and leading from said rocker through an eye in the car-body located to that side of the upright rod and plate which is adjacent the smaller end of the opening in the latter, this second rod having Witnesses:

R. S. OBRIEN, CoRA SMITH. 

